Ladder-hook



(No Model.)

J. P. MANAHAN.

LADDER HOOK- N0. 298,597. Patented May 13, 1884.

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UNITE STATES JOHN F. MANAHAN, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

LADDER-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 298,597, dated May 13,1884.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN F. MANAHAN, ofLowell, Middlesex county, Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Ladder-Hooks, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention has reference to hooksadapted to be applied to the ends ofladders to take a hold on the objects to which the ladders may reach. InLetters Patent No. 285,637, of September 25, 1883, I have shown apivotedladderhook for this purpose. Under my present invention the hookis not pivoted, but is'fitted to a socket or to guides, to which it isheld by a suitable catch or look, which may be spring-controlled or not,as desired. The hook can be thus combined with'a socket or equivalentsupport in a variety of ways. \Vhat is essential is that it should beheld in place by a lock or catch, which, whenever need be, can be movedso as to release the hook, in order to allow it to be brought from itsadvanced or open position to its closed powill be substantially withinthe compass of the ladder structure, so as to be out of the way.

One convenient way of carrying my invention into effect is to providethe base-plate of the device with a socket curved in the arc of acircle, and to place the hook (made on a corresponding curve) in thissocket-under such an arrangement that it can slide therein so as to beprojected or retracted, according to the direction in which it is moved.With the socket and sliding hook I combine means, which may bespring-controlled or not, as de sired, for looking or securing the hookin either position. Such an arrangement is represented in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper end of a ladder provided with hooks embodying my improvement. Inthis figurethe hooks are shown projected. Fig. 2 is a plan of one of thehooks in retracted position. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3, Fig. 1.Fig. 4 is a plan of one of the hooks projected; and Fig. 5 is a sectionon line 5 5, Fig. 4.

The hook consists of two parts, the baseplate A and the hook proper, B.On the face of the plate is formed a socket, G, in which the hook isheld. This socket is, in the present instance, open on its under side,

and is closed on this side by the ladder-piece E, to which it isapplied. It can, however,

' be closed by continuing the body of the baseplate across it, ifdesired. The socket is curved on the arc of a circle, and the hookproper, B, which fits and is adapted to slide in it, is correspondinglycurved. The looking device here'shown in illustration of my inventionconsists of a hinged pin, a, hung on the rear end of the hook, andadapted to drop into one or the other of the notches b c in thebase-plate or socket. the socket between the notches is slotted on itsouter face, as indicated at d, to permit the passage of the liftedlocking-pin when the hook is moved from one position to the other. WVhenthe hook is in its open position,the pin falls into the front notch, 12,and when it is retracted the pin enters the rear notch, 0, thus lockingthe hook in position. The lockingpin may, as shown in Fig. 4, bespring-controlled, the spring e serving to press it in a direction tocause it to engage the notches.

Having described the preferred way of car- That portion of 6 rying myimprovement in ladder-hooks into practical effect, Idesire it to beunderstood that I do not restrict myself to the particular constructionand arrangement of parts herein shown in illustration of my invention.

\Vhat I claim as new and of my own invention is 1. A ladder-hookcomprising a socketed base-plate, a hook proper movable in said socket,and a lock or catch by which said hook is secured in place in saidsocket, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination of asocketed base-plate, a hook proper arranged toslide in said socket so as to be projected or retracted, as desired, anda lock or catch for securing it in either position, substantially ashereinbefore set forth.

3. The base-plate and curved socket there:

on, in combination with the correspondingly-

